Chicago, IL — March 5, 2009 – The Grammy-nominated Chicago Chamber Musicians (CCM), performs the North American premiere of Norwegian composer Rolf Wallin’s Strange News presented by CCM in association with the Museum of Contemporary Art (MCA), Chicago, at the MCA Stage on May 8, 2009 at 7:30 p.m. Also on the program is George Crumb’s landmark anti-Vietnam War quartet Black Angels for Electric String Quartet. CCM is a two-time winner of the ASCAP/Chamber Music America Award for Adventurous Programming.

Rolf Wallin (b. 1957) created Strange News with director Josse de Pauw who visited Uganda and The Democratic Republic of Congo in 2006. The artists, along with a reporter and cameraman from the Norwegian Broadcasting Corporation, met with former child soldiers whose stories were woven into the Strange News’ libretto. The piece opens with real video footage of child soldiers accompanied by a distorted version of the pounding music of news broadcasts. Narration of a young boy’s harrowing story follows as the audience is surrounded by real sounds of war which dissolve into an electroacoustic landscape. The piece ends with the boy’s return to his village.

Composer Rolf Wallin describes Strange News as, “not a piece of ‘political art’ in the traditional sense, but rather as an artistic parallel to a TV or radio documentary: a small, but informative window onto a particular matter, where the empathy with those involved is more important than dry information, and where no conclusions are made.

“The subject matter of Strange News is the children used so utterly cynically as soldiers in wars around the world. Many of those who have escaped have in recent years been taken into aid programmes, where they are helped to live normally in society again. As a part of the therapy, local traditional rituals can be used, focusing on the individual as a part of the collective, with song and dance as important ingredients. The wonderful thing is that the therapy actually works.[s1] [s1]”

To view a demo video from the May 2007 orchestral premiere by the Oslo Philharmonic Orchestra, please visit http://rolfwallin.org/snvid.html.

Date, time, and ticket information

Concert is Friday, May 8, presented in association with the MCA at the MCA Stage, 220 East Chicago Avenue. The concert begins at 7:30 pm, with a pre-concert talk with composer Rolf Wallin at 6:30 p.m. Tickets are $25 (general public), $20 (CCM subscribers and MCA members) and $10 (students). For tickets contact the MCA box office 312-397-4010 or visit www.mcachicago.org.

The concert is underwritten in part by Mary and Michael Woolever and Meet the Composer, Inc.

Concert Program:

6:30 p.m. — pre-concert talk with composer Rolf Wallin

7:30 p.m. — concert:

George Crumb (b. 1929)

Black Angels for Electric String Quartet (1970)

Performed by: Joseph Genualdi, violin; Jasmine Lin, violin; Rami Solomonow, viola; Clancy Newman, cello

- Intermission –

Rolf Wallin (b. 1981)

Strange News (2007)

Performed by: Arthur Kisenyi, narrator; Jessica Warren-Acosta, flute/piccolo; Michael Henoch, oboe; Sean McNeely, clarinet/bass clarinet; Barbara Butler, trumpet; Gail Williams, horn; Peter Ellefson, trombone; Michael Kozakis, percussion; Kuang-Hao Huang, piano; Jasmine Lin, violin; Rami Solomonow, viola; Clancy Newman, cello; Michael Hovnanian, double bass; Michael Mulcahy, conductor

Auxiliary Programming:

Artists Up Close:

Roundtable

MCA, 220 East Chicago Avenue

Tuesday, May 5, 6 pm

Jimmie Briggs, author of Innocents Lost: When Child Soldiers Go to War engages Strange News composer Rolf Wallin and Ugandan actor Arthur Kisenyi in a conversation about current conditions of child soldiers in Uganda and the Congo, several of whom were interviewed by the Strange News creators, and recent successes by non-government organizations such as the Norwegian charity Christian Relief Network which facilitated their interviews and are working in the field to reintegrate former child soldiers into society.  Co-presented with the Center for International Studies of University of Chicago.

About The Chicago Chamber Musicians

Founded in 1986, The Chicago Chamber Musicians (CCM) is committed to building an internationally recognized chamber music institution in Chicago. Since its inception, CCM has launched a critically and popularly acclaimed subscription series; an award-winning annual series of contemporary chamber music; a touring program; the annual Family Concerts; and a remarkable set of community service programs. CCM has commissioned 15 works, and has received two ASCAP-Chamber Music America Awards for Adventurous Programming. CCM’s recordings include previously unrecorded works by John Harbison, David Diamond and Bruce Adolphe as well as the GRAMMY-nominated Chamber Works for Winds and Strings by Mozart. Among CCM’s numerous awards are the ABBY Award for Arts Management Excellence and the 2007 Chamber Ensemble of the Year from the Illinois Council of Orchestras. Annually CCM reaches more than 5,000,000 radio listeners, audience members and students. CCM is underwritten in part by grants from the National Endowment for the Arts, the Illinois Arts Council and the City of Chicago Department of Cultural Affairs. CCM’s 2008-2009 Season is supported by The Chicago Community Trust and Bentley Forbes.www.chicagochambermusic.org

About the Museum of Contemporary Art, Chicago

As the Museum of Contemporary Art’s program of performing arts, MCA Stage is a nationally recognized presenter of contemporary theater, dance, music, and multimedia performances. Featuring leading performers from around the globe, including Chicago’s most innovative artists, MCA Stage is the most active interdisciplinary performing arts presenter in Chicago. MCA Stage celebrates artists and their creative process, connecting audiences with artists in meaningful discourse with its Artists Up Close series of post-show talks, panels, roundtable discussions, workshops, and residencies. Audiences at MCA Stage performances receive one free museum admission with each ticket stub on the performance date or during the following week. For information and tickets, call the MCA Box Office at 312.397.4010 or visit www.mcachicago.org.

The MCA association with The Chicago Chamber Musicians of Strange News is generously supported by the North Shore Affiliates of the MCA in honor of Lynne Grant.

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